INTRODUCTION:
Portsmouth, Rhode Island is a historic town in Newport County which is home to Melville Elementary School. This school is one of the two elementary schools for the district. Students from preschool until fifth grade attend Melville Elementary. There are about 350 students and 40 teachers. Melville Elementary School seems like a great school for all students from academics, support, safety and monetary funding. In this report, I will be detailing student achievement, teaching, family and community standards, safe and supportiveness, and funding and resources of Melville Elementary School. Therefore, this report might be especially interesting to students and parents thinking about sending their child to this school, teachers thinking about applying to be a teacher here, or anyone interested in comparing students' opinions and state statistics.
STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT:
Melville seems to be an academically prestigious elementary school. In 2011, 90% of the school was proficient in 3rd grade math as compared to the state statistic of only 62% and 89% of the school was proficient in 3rd grade reading as compared to state statistic of 71%. In questions students answered about the quality of their education, many categories for Melville Elementary had higher percentages of positive answers. For example, one question asked the students if they believed their teachers wanted them to learn more and 40% of Melville's students answered with "always" while only 24% answered "always" throughout the state. It is very important that the students know that the teachers care because they are more likely to want to learn if there is a supportive and friendly environment.
TEACHING:
Teachers in Melville Elementary are very qualified. There are no teachers with emergency certification and none of the teachers are not highly qualified teachers. The teacher to student ratio is the same as the state average, for every eleven students, there is one teacher. This is a relatively good ratio, but the more teachers to each student, the better. That establishes an environment that makes learning easy. The students at Melville also seem to be pretty confident that they will graduate high school, 87.5% and go to college, 88.2%.Throughout the state, 85.6% of students believe they will graduate high school and only 80.1% believe they will attend college. I think it is important that students set high hopes, like graduating and going to college, in order for them to have something to work towards. (Rhode Island Department of Education, 2011) [1] (Rhode Island Department of Education, 2009) [2] (Rhode Island Department of Education, 2011) [3]
Teachers at Melville Elementary are very organized and successful within the classroom. Students in Melville Elementary reported that their teachers "called on a lot of different students in class, gave me good directions for my work, help keep my workspace neat, help me after I miss a day of school, explain something in different ways until I get it, and give me enough time to do well on my classwork." All these questions were answered with more positive answers from the students than the state . The state statistics reported higher replies of "always" on only two questions; "my teacher always works in small groups and my teacher tells me to work with a partner on my classwork." This information shows that there are many highly qualified teachers who seem to be teaching their students well. This is true because without teachers who teach well, the students are likely to not succeed. With the question "my teacher gives me work that makes me think hard," 45.7% of children answered "always." With the question "my teachers make learning fun" 39.4% of students answered "mostly" and the question "my teachers want me to learn more" 40.9% of students answered "always." These statistics are higher than the state percentages. (39.9%, 33.2%, 24.2% respectively) (RIDE 2009, 2011)
Teachers at Melville Elementary connect with the students beyond just the classroom. The last questions, "my teachers care about me" and "I think my teachers like teaching" are pretty significant and 53.8% of students strongly agreed with both of these statements. The statewide percentages are actually higher than these. Teachers in Melville may not be as caring as others. Lastly, in the AYP Report Card (that documents each school and district's success and achievement for the year), nine target areas were evaluated and nine were met. This is very good, Melville surpassed all the target scores. In English Language Arts, Melville scored an approximate 93.6 and the state's overall score was an 89.7, and in Math Melville scored an approximate 93.8 and Rhode Island's overall score was an 85.5. Obviously, with such good scores, Melville Elementary is doing very well on their tests. (RIDE 2009, 2011)
FAMILY AND COMMUNITY:
Melville's students also seem to have a solid support system in addition to being a prestigious school. In general, only 10% of the students are eligible for subsidized lunch, as compared to the state percentage of 43% and only 1% of students needing ESL. However, Melville Elementary has a relatively large percentage of Special Ed students, 20%, as compared to the state's 16%. The students at Melville also gave information about how the community and their family impacts them. Students said that: "96.7% of my parents want to know what I'm doing in school," "93.3% of my parents like my school," and "100% of my parents want me to get good grades." These percentages are very similar to the state percentages. It is very important that students have a solid support system because students with support are more motivated, and are taught to value education. (93.7%, 88.9%, 93.6% respectively) Parents of children in Melville Elementary did not seem to want to talk about the future with their children. Only 12.9% of students said that they're parents talked to them about jobs they can have when they grow up, and only 24.4% of parents talked to their children about going to college. Surprisingly,both of these percentages were lower than the state percentages for these questions (27.1%, 37% respectively). In addition, 80.9% of students could talk to a good friend about problems. The children at Melville seem very active, 83% of students play outside, 58.5% play sports and 55.5% of students ride their bikes. These are the most common activities, and the states percentages as compared to Melville's percentages are almost identical, showing that students of Melville are no more active then the rest of state. In addition, in Portsmouth, 29.7% of students were home alone for 0 days a week, and 24.2% for one day a week. Statewide, 43.5% were home done for 0 days a week and 15.8% for one day a week. Most parents are staying with their children, which is very good since the children are very young. (RIDE 2009, 2011)
SAFE AND SUPPORTIVE SCHOOLS:
From health to support to safety, Melville Elementary School seems to have a relatively good reputation. The attendance rate is 96%, chronic absenteeism rate is 7%, while the state's percentage is more than double, 16%. There were 0 incidents of suspension in 2008-2009. The mobility index, that "measures the ability of a region's transportation systems to move people" is 20% and the stability index, a metric used to organize, control and track changes to the originally specified requirements for a new system project or product, is 82%.
The students reported healthy behaviors: the majority eats breakfast every morning, most watch television for an hour a day or less, and 45% of students work on the computer for less than a half hour a day.These are good percentages because doing all these activities more than usual makes it much more difficult for the student to be successful. Breakfast is needed to keep concentrated, and the television and computer only distract from work. The state percentages are virtually the same as the school's percentages. (RIDE 2009, 2011)
Melville Elementary also seems to have a safe community for its children. 88% of students felt safe on their way to school and 82.8% felt safe walking outside of school. These percentages are higher than the state's percentages: 82.4% felt safe on their way to school but only 67.9% felt safe walking outside of school. Portsmouth has a safer community than most other school's because most feel that they are safe outside of the school. 53.8% of students said that the teachers "never" let things get crazy in class, yet only 52.2% of students think that the school's rules are fair, as compared to 75% statewide. Bullies seemed more prevalent than they should be in Melville, yet all percentages were lower than the state statistics. 42% of students got called names, 33% have had "mean things done to them" and 31.5% of students have gotten mean things done to them on the bus. 81% of the students who were bullied told their parents that they were bullied. 62.9% of the cases of bullying stopped after they told an adult. All these percentages are higher than they should be, but it is very upsetting to know that the state percentages are even higher. Melville is a more kind school than many others in the state. There were also high percentages in the school and state, of students who believed they could talk to their teachers about any problems they had (mostly about school work). (RIDE 2009, 2011)
I was shocked at the amount of violence and illegal doings that went on in this school, though all percentages were lower than the state percentages. 13% were in fights, 2.2% were offered drugs, 11.8 % were robbed at school, 11.2% saw a weapon at school, 2.2% drank without permission, and 1.1% took an illegal drug. 0% smoked a cigarette. I feel like these percentages are abnormally high for 4th and 5th graders! All of these activities are extremely harmful, especially to young children and will not contribute to the child's success in school.
Lastly, 87.8% of students said that their teachers were nice to them, and 42.9% of the students believed the students in the school were nice to the teachers. Mutual respect is a contributing factor to success and excellence in the classroom. (RIDE 2009, 2011)
FUNDING AND RESOURCES:
In Portsmouth, there is a $1,345,060.81 district property value per student. The district tax rate per $1000 is $11.27, the district per pupil expenditure, For Melville Elementary, is $12,850. Additionally, the district property tax cap is $196, and the district tax effort is $63. The median family income for Portsmouth is $68577. These relatively high numbers, indicate that Portsmouth is a wealthy community.
Some of the percentages reported by the students concerning funding and resources were good, yet some were upsetting. 90% of students agree that the school looks nice inside, and 87.2% agree that the school looks nice outside. Only 40.7% of students say that there is always soap in the bathroom to wash their hands with. Even more shocking, only 9.9% of students say that the classroom is always just the right temperature. 90% of students say that there is enough books for everyone, and 83% say that the desks are the right size for them. This is upsetting because students should be comfortable and clean at school. Without comfort, the students and teachers will find it hard to concentrate and get things done. All these percentages are very similar to the statewide percentages. 79.8% use a computer in class as compared to only 68% statewide. (RIDE 2009, 2011)
CONCLUSION:
Melville Elementary School is a good example of a supportive, safe and academically prestigious elementary school. The academics are prestigious, the teachers are involved, the community is safe and wealthy and there are low percentages of violence in and around school. Although there are some concerns, such as bullying, violence, and comfort and cleanliness provided for the students, the students seem relatively happy with the education and experiences they are enjoying. Melville Elementary will most likely prepare it's students well for middle school. My findings are important because the students' views are highlighted and the statistics show clear indications of what needs to be improved and puts Melville Elementary above the rest in the state. These findings can be used to improve the school and provide much needed information for those who are interested in knowing about the school. This information can also be used as a resource of comparison for other schools. Portsmouth has a great elementary school full of successful teachers and curious students.
Portsmouth School District
Melville Elementary School
By: Lauren Schuessler
INTRODUCTION:Portsmouth, Rhode Island is a historic town in Newport County which is home to Melville Elementary School. This school is one of the two elementary schools for the district. Students from preschool until fifth grade attend Melville Elementary. There are about 350 students and 40 teachers. Melville Elementary School seems like a great school for all students from academics, support, safety and monetary funding. In this report, I will be detailing student achievement, teaching, family and community standards, safe and supportiveness, and funding and resources of Melville Elementary School. Therefore, this report might be especially interesting to students and parents thinking about sending their child to this school, teachers thinking about applying to be a teacher here, or anyone interested in comparing students' opinions and state statistics.
STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT:
Melville seems to be an academically prestigious elementary school. In 2011, 90% of the school was proficient in 3rd grade math as compared to the state statistic of only 62% and 89% of the school was proficient in 3rd grade reading as compared to state statistic of 71%. In questions students answered about the quality of their education, many categories for Melville Elementary had higher percentages of positive answers. For example, one question asked the students if they believed their teachers wanted them to learn more and 40% of Melville's students answered with "always" while only 24% answered "always" throughout the state. It is very important that the students know that the teachers care because they are more likely to want to learn if there is a supportive and friendly environment.
TEACHING:
Teachers in Melville Elementary are very qualified. There are no teachers with emergency certification and none of the teachers are not highly qualified teachers. The teacher to student ratio is the same as the state average, for every eleven students, there is one teacher. This is a relatively good ratio, but the more teachers to each student, the better. That establishes an environment that makes learning easy. The students at Melville also seem to be pretty confident that they will graduate high school, 87.5% and go to college, 88.2%.Throughout the state, 85.6% of students believe they will graduate high school and only 80.1% believe they will attend college. I think it is important that students set high hopes, like graduating and going to college, in order for them to have something to work towards. (Rhode Island Department of Education, 2011) [1] (Rhode Island Department of Education, 2009) [2] (Rhode Island Department of Education, 2011) [3]
Teachers at Melville Elementary are very organized and successful within the classroom. Students in Melville Elementary reported that their teachers "called on a lot of different students in class, gave me good directions for my work, help keep my workspace neat, help me after I miss a day of school, explain something in different ways until I get it, and give me enough time to do well on my classwork." All these questions were answered with more positive answers from the students than the state . The state statistics reported higher replies of "always" on only two questions; "my teacher always works in small groups and my teacher tells me to work with a partner on my classwork." This information shows that there are many highly qualified teachers who seem to be teaching their students well. This is true because without teachers who teach well, the students are likely to not succeed. With the question "my teacher gives me work that makes me think hard," 45.7% of children answered "always." With the question "my teachers make learning fun" 39.4% of students answered "mostly" and the question "my teachers want me to learn more" 40.9% of students answered "always." These statistics are higher than the state percentages. (39.9%, 33.2%, 24.2% respectively) (RIDE 2009, 2011)
Teachers at Melville Elementary connect with the students beyond just the classroom. The last questions, "my teachers care about me" and "I think my teachers like teaching" are pretty significant and 53.8% of students strongly agreed with both of these statements. The statewide percentages are actually higher than these. Teachers in Melville may not be as caring as others. Lastly, in the AYP Report Card (that documents each school and district's success and achievement for the year), nine target areas were evaluated and nine were met. This is very good, Melville surpassed all the target scores. In English Language Arts, Melville scored an approximate 93.6 and the state's overall score was an 89.7, and in Math Melville scored an approximate 93.8 and Rhode Island's overall score was an 85.5. Obviously, with such good scores, Melville Elementary is doing very well on their tests. (RIDE 2009, 2011)
FAMILY AND COMMUNITY:
Melville's students also seem to have a solid support system in addition to being a prestigious school. In general, only 10% of the students are eligible for subsidized lunch, as compared to the state percentage of 43% and only 1% of students needing ESL. However, Melville Elementary has a relatively large percentage of Special Ed students, 20%, as compared to the state's 16%. The students at Melville also gave information about how the community and their family impacts them. Students said that: "96.7% of my parents want to know what I'm doing in school," "93.3% of my parents like my school," and "100% of my parents want me to get good grades." These percentages are very similar to the state percentages. It is very important that students have a solid support system because students with support are more motivated, and are taught to value education. (93.7%, 88.9%, 93.6% respectively) Parents of children in Melville Elementary did not seem to want to talk about the future with their children. Only 12.9% of students said that they're parents talked to them about jobs they can have when they grow up, and only 24.4% of parents talked to their children about going to college. Surprisingly,both of these percentages were lower than the state percentages for these questions (27.1%, 37% respectively). In addition, 80.9% of students could talk to a good friend about problems. The children at Melville seem very active, 83% of students play outside, 58.5% play sports and 55.5% of students ride their bikes. These are the most common activities, and the states percentages as compared to Melville's percentages are almost identical, showing that students of Melville are no more active then the rest of state. In addition, in Portsmouth, 29.7% of students were home alone for 0 days a week, and 24.2% for one day a week. Statewide, 43.5% were home done for 0 days a week and 15.8% for one day a week. Most parents are staying with their children, which is very good since the children are very young. (RIDE 2009, 2011)
SAFE AND SUPPORTIVE SCHOOLS:
From health to support to safety, Melville Elementary School seems to have a relatively good reputation. The attendance rate is 96%, chronic absenteeism rate is 7%, while the state's percentage is more than double, 16%. There were 0 incidents of suspension in 2008-2009. The mobility index, that "measures the ability of a region's transportation systems to move people" is 20% and the stability index, a metric used to organize, control and track changes to the originally specified requirements for a new system project or product, is 82%.
The students reported healthy behaviors: the majority eats breakfast every morning, most watch television for an hour a day or less, and 45% of students work on the computer for less than a half hour a day.These are good percentages because doing all these activities more than usual makes it much more difficult for the student to be successful. Breakfast is needed to keep concentrated, and the television and computer only distract from work. The state percentages are virtually the same as the school's percentages. (RIDE 2009, 2011)
Melville Elementary also seems to have a safe community for its children. 88% of students felt safe on their way to school and 82.8% felt safe walking outside of school. These percentages are higher than the state's percentages: 82.4% felt safe on their way to school but only 67.9% felt safe walking outside of school. Portsmouth has a safer community than most other school's because most feel that they are safe outside of the school. 53.8% of students said that the teachers "never" let things get crazy in class, yet only 52.2% of students think that the school's rules are fair, as compared to 75% statewide. Bullies seemed more prevalent than they should be in Melville, yet all percentages were lower than the state statistics. 42% of students got called names, 33% have had "mean things done to them" and 31.5% of students have gotten mean things done to them on the bus. 81% of the students who were bullied told their parents that they were bullied. 62.9% of the cases of bullying stopped after they told an adult. All these percentages are higher than they should be, but it is very upsetting to know that the state percentages are even higher. Melville is a more kind school than many others in the state. There were also high percentages in the school and state, of students who believed they could talk to their teachers about any problems they had (mostly about school work). (RIDE 2009, 2011)
I was shocked at the amount of violence and illegal doings that went on in this school, though all percentages were lower than the state percentages. 13% were in fights, 2.2% were offered drugs, 11.8 % were robbed at school, 11.2% saw a weapon at school, 2.2% drank without permission, and 1.1% took an illegal drug. 0% smoked a cigarette. I feel like these percentages are abnormally high for 4th and 5th graders! All of these activities are extremely harmful, especially to young children and will not contribute to the child's success in school.
Lastly, 87.8% of students said that their teachers were nice to them, and 42.9% of the students believed the students in the school were nice to the teachers. Mutual respect is a contributing factor to success and excellence in the classroom. (RIDE 2009, 2011)
FUNDING AND RESOURCES:
In Portsmouth, there is a $1,345,060.81 district property value per student. The district tax rate per $1000 is $11.27, the district per pupil expenditure, For Melville Elementary, is $12,850. Additionally, the district property tax cap is $196, and the district tax effort is $63. The median family income for Portsmouth is $68577. These relatively high numbers, indicate that Portsmouth is a wealthy community.
Some of the percentages reported by the students concerning funding and resources were good, yet some were upsetting. 90% of students agree that the school looks nice inside, and 87.2% agree that the school looks nice outside. Only 40.7% of students say that there is always soap in the bathroom to wash their hands with. Even more shocking, only 9.9% of students say that the classroom is always just the right temperature. 90% of students say that there is enough books for everyone, and 83% say that the desks are the right size for them. This is upsetting because students should be comfortable and clean at school. Without comfort, the students and teachers will find it hard to concentrate and get things done. All these percentages are very similar to the statewide percentages. 79.8% use a computer in class as compared to only 68% statewide. (RIDE 2009, 2011)
CONCLUSION:
Melville Elementary School is a good example of a supportive, safe and academically prestigious elementary school. The academics are prestigious, the teachers are involved, the community is safe and wealthy and there are low percentages of violence in and around school. Although there are some concerns, such as bullying, violence, and comfort and cleanliness provided for the students, the students seem relatively happy with the education and experiences they are enjoying. Melville Elementary will most likely prepare it's students well for middle school. My findings are important because the students' views are highlighted and the statistics show clear indications of what needs to be improved and puts Melville Elementary above the rest in the state. These findings can be used to improve the school and provide much needed information for those who are interested in knowing about the school. This information can also be used as a resource of comparison for other schools. Portsmouth has a great elementary school full of successful teachers and curious students.